Over the first six years of his career with the Buffalo Bills, fullback Reggie Gilliam touched the ball just 24 times. Now in New England, he believes there’s more to give.
“I feel like I’ve been underutilized before, and I feel like a lot of people don’t know what I can do with the ball in my hand because it hasn’t been displayed,” Gilliam said. “I haven’t really had the opportunity to do so, but I definitely feel like there’s some untapped potential there.”
Gilliam has been most productive as a pass
catcher, turning 16 receptions into 135 yards and two touchdowns — including one on a screen pass against Mike Vrabel’s Titans. His eight career carries have gone for just 14 yards, primarily in short-yardage situations.
After signing a three-year contract worth up to $12 million with the Patriots in free agency, offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels will not by shy to tap into the 28 years old’s versatility in order to hunt mismatches.
“I’m learning the entire offense. I’m not just learning fullback. I’m learning different positions and how he can spread you out one way or have you in motion another way. He’s very versatile,” Gilliam explained.
“I was actually watching film yesterday, and I saw James Develin split out running a go route, and I was just like, ‘Hey, if he can do it, I can definitely do it.’ No disrespect to James, but I’m a little more agile than him. It’s nice to see that Josh values the position in a way more than just running your head into a wall.”
While Gilliam could see more opportunities with the ball in his hands, New England primarily targeted him in free agency for his physicality and impact in the run game.
The fullback played a key role in Buffalo’s No. 1-ranked rushing attack last season, finishing 10th among non-offensive linemen in run-blocking grade. He now aims to bring that same impact to New England while working in front of Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson — a duo he has started to get to know during the early stages of the voluntary offseason program.
“Every running back is different. You have the patient ones, you’ve got the downhill speed guys like Trey. It’s really just learning how they see different blocks,” Gilliam explained. “I like to think of the fullback as the bus driver, right? I’m leading the bus — wherever I go, he’s going to follow me. So I’ve got to know his tempo and his reads, whatever the landmark of the scheme is. It is different from running back to running back, but I’m still in the process of learning these guys.”
